Excitement is building the San Luis Obispo Symphony’s 57th season Opening Night of Classics in the Cohan on Saturday, October 7th and 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. The Consul General of New Zealand, the Honorable Maurice Williamson is the Symphony’s special guests for the performance.
Mr. Williamson is attending in support of native New Zealander and new music director Andrew Sewell, who conducts the Symphony for the first time in his new role that evening, and is especially excited to hear Douglas Lilburn’s Aotearoa Overture, a beautiful anthem that is a point of majestic pride for all New Zealanders. Aotearoa is the Maori name for the islands and the piece will set the tone for the concert. Along with the dramatic Dvorak Cello Concerto in B Minor featuring Grammy nominee and Tchaikovsky Competition medalist Bion Tsang and Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opening Night is a big, brave start to a new era in the history of the Symphony.
Maurice Williamson took up his position as New Zealand’s Consul-General in Los Angeles in August 2017, with jurisdiction over the twelve western states for the United States. Prior to his appointment, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the National Party, serving as the MP for Pakuranga, Auckland, since 1987. He has held a range of ministerial portfolios in successive governments including transport broadcasting, building & construction, customs, land information, statistics, science and technology, local government, communications, information technology and small business. Before entering Parliament, he worked in the Corporate Planning Division of Air New Zealand from 1975-1987, with various postings overseas, including to the United States.
“We are extremely honored to have Mr. Williamson and his wife join us for the beginning of Andrew’s tenure with the Symphony,” said David Hamilton, board president of the Symphony. “The entire concert is a celebration, from Andrew’s beginning to a having international guest soloists, as well as a strong orchestra, board and staff, the Symphony is an incredible cultural treasure in the community and one of the best entertainment experiences in town.”
Concert Tickets and Pricing
Subscription seats are on sale now and provide a substantial cost savings over single tickets. Single tickets are now on sale at PACSLO.org or by calling the box office at 805-756-4849. Single ticket prices for the 2017-18 Season are $20, $40, $70, $75, and $80. Full season subscriptions that include the five Classics in the Cohan concerts are priced from $88 to $374 with 12% off regular single-ticket price. The three-concert Chamber Series subscription is $92. New Year’s Eve POPS ticket prices range from $25 to $90. Subscription tickets are available for purchase by phone at 805-543-3533 or in person at 75 Higuera St., Ste. 160 until October 6, 2017.
About the San Luis Obispo Symphony
The San Luis Obispo Symphony was established in 1954 by a small group of 11 musicians called the Morro Bay Community Orchestra. The SLO Symphony was incorporated in 1961 and, in its 57-year history, has grown significantly to become a leading arts institution in the community with 70 orchestra members under the direction of Maestro Andrew Sewell.
The Symphony produces 12+ concerts per year in San Luis Obispo County and educates local youth through a large Youth Symphony program with five ensembles and music education programs with 10 school-based programs, a Music Van that visits local schools and a Musical Petting Zoo that introduces instruments to youth at community events. The Symphony music education programs have touched more than 16,000 youth per year in it 54-year tenure.
In 2017-18, the San Luis Obispo Symphony welcomes its new music director Andrew Sewell who will program and conduct the Classics in the Cohan concert series, the New Year’s Eve POPS concert and its Chamber series. For further information, please visit slosymphony.org.